Attorneys/Judges
| Prosecutor(s): | Kym Worthy | | Defense(s): | James Schmier | | Judge(s): | William Hultgren |
Hoarding - 26 cats seized, 150 dogs dead
Dearborn, MI (US)Incident Date: Friday, Aug 28, 2009
County: Wayne
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Kenneth Lang, Jr.
Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
Animal control officers were back on the scene Friday of a Dearborn home, where 26 cats and a dog were rescued.
Neighbors called animal control to report an overwhelming odor coming from the home.
Crews spent most of Thursday at the home, where they found 26 cats and a dog alive inside the home. They also removed five dead cats and found three cats buried in the backyard.
A dead dog was found in the garage.
According to Caitlyn Wall, her step-sister's mother and two other people moved into the rental home on Roosevelt Street in July.
"She loves animals and would do anything for them," Wall said. "Things just got out of hand."
"They had too many cats," she said. "They didn't want to give them up. They loved them all and they didn't know what to do."
According to crews, the home is filthy and the floors are covered in animal waste. The house also did not have electricity or running water.
A flea bomb was placed inside the home because workers said the home was infested with fleas.
This is the second case of animal hoarding in Dearborn in as many months. Many people who live in the city have had enough.
"I think it's gross and disgusting and something should have been done," said Daryl Thied, a neighbor.
Lori Mullen said she was "shocked" when she found out the animals when she saw them being brought out by rescue crews.
The rescued cats and dog were taken to the Dearborn Animal Shelter.
"Some are a little thin. They all had fleas and flea dirt," said veterinarian Cheryl Good. "A lot of hair loss and bites all over them from scratching from the the fleas."
If you are able to help, the shelter needs cat food, cat litter, and monetary donations.
Case UpdatesA Dearborn man accused of hoarding more than 250 Chihuahuas inside his house waived his right to a preliminary examination Friday morning after being found competent to stand trial.
Kenneth Lang Jr., 56, was ordered to undergo a mental competency examination Sept. 11 by 19th District Court Judge William Hultgren after being arraigned on two counts of animal cruelty following the discovery of more than 100 live dogs and 150 dead ones inside Lang’s Orchard Street home.
The Dearborn resident was bound over Friday morning after waiving his right to a preliminary examination. He is scheduled to appear Dec. 18 in Wayne County Circuit Court.
Authorities discovered in July that Lang was hoarding the dogs, mostly Chihuahuas and Chihuahua mixes. They say some of the dead dogs found in freezers in the home may have been killed with an injection to the heart or partially eaten by other dogs.
Lang was evaluated for mental competency and criminal responsibility during an Oct. 5 hearing at the Michigan Center for Forensic Psychiatry. He was found competent, his attorney, James Schmier, said.
The Dearborn resident is charged with two counts of cruelty to 10 or more animals -- one count related to the living dogs and the second for the dead dogs. If convicted, Lang faces a sentence of probation to up to four years in prison on each felony count. A judge can order that the sentences be served consecutively.
Lang remains free on $25,000 bond on the condition he have no contact with animals.
His lawyer said Lang -- who has a long history of mental illness and is being treated for obsessive-compulsive disorder -- shouldn't be charged as a criminal but needs mental health treatment.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy has said Lang’s actions were deliberate.
“These dogs died from emaciation, poor nutrition, dehydration and severe puncture wounds, and there were signs of post-mortem cannibalization,” Worthy said Sept. 3 after announcing the charges against Lang.
“Some of the dogs appeared to have been euthanized via an injection to their hearts,” she said.
Dearborn police said Lang was disoriented when they removed him from the house July 22. He was evaluated and placed in a group home. Lang’s home, which belongs to his father who lives in Florida, has been deemed uninhabitable, and has scheduled for demolition.
“We have requested that the gas and electric be turned off by DTE, but that may take several more weeks,” said Mary Laundroche, director of Dearborn’s Public Information Department.
“Once all utilities are off, we will select a demolition contractor and proceed. We are still hopeful that the house will be demolished before the end of the year.”
Worthy said the home’s neat outside appearance and Lang’s efforts to conceal the smell by sealing doors and windows factored into the decision to charge the Dearborn resident. She said some live dogs were kept in containers without food or water, and a veterinarian last had contact with some of the dogs in 2003.
Schmier maintains the animals were not mistreated.
“Everybody recognizes he (Lang) didn't abuse the dogs,” Schmier said in July after the animals were found. “He (Lang) told me he was just about ready to clean the place. This is not criminal behavior. He was scared to death and overwhelmed.”
Live dogs were found over several days amid feces and garbage in the home, and the dead dogs were found in basement freezers.
More than 80 percent of the rescued dogs have been adopted, and homes are being sought for the remaining animals, said Sandra Boulton, a spokeswoman for the Dearborn Animal Shelter. | Source: Press & Guide - Dec 5, 2009
Update posted on Dec 6, 2009 - 5:10PM |
Some of the 150 dead dogs found packed in freezers of a Detroit-area house where more than 100 living dogs were rescued may have been killed with an injection to their hearts or partially eaten by other dogs, a prosecutor said Thursday.
The disclosure by Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy came as she announced animal cruelty charges again Kenneth Lang Jr., the 56-year-old Dearborn man found hoarding the dogs-mostly Chihuahuas and Chihuahua mixes.
"These dogs died from emaciation, poor nutrition, dehydration and severe puncture wounds, and there were signs of post-mortem cannibalization," Worthy said. "Some of the dogs appeared to have been euthanized via an injection to their hearts."
Worthy declined to elaborate on the injections. Prosecutors said evidence shows dogs were eating dead dogs in the home, and that detail about the puncture wounds would be addressed in court.
Lang's attorney James Schmier said he was "disheartened" by the decision to bring charges in the case. He said Lang suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder and needs treatment, not jailing.
"He is a very sick guy and I didn't think in this day and age we prosecuted sick people," Schmier said.
Dearborn police described Lang as disoriented when they removed him from the house July 22. He was evaluated and has since been living in a group home. Police found the dogs after a neighbor complained of the smell, and said the number of animals likely had been growing for several years.
Live dogs were found over several days amid feces and garbage in the home, and the dead dogs were found in basement freezers. The house, which had a neatly cut lawn and manicured bushes, is expected to be demolished.
Worthy cited the home's outside appearance, as well as efforts to conceal the smell of the dogs by sealing windows and vents, in the decision to charge Lang. She said some of the live dogs were kept in containers without food or water, and a veterinarian last had contact with some of the dogs in 2003.
"There was very deliberate behavior," Worthy said.
Lang is charged with two counts of cruelty to 10 or more animals-one count related to the living dogs and the second for the dead dogs. If convicted, he faces probation to up to four years in prison on each felony count.
Schmier said he plans to take the case to trial, if necessary. Lang was arraigned in 19th District Court in Dearborn and is free on personal bond. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Sept. 11.
Sandra Boulton, a spokeswoman for the Dearborn Animal Shelter, said more than 50 of the surviving dogs have been adopted, and homes are being sought for dozens of others. Some have social and medical issues.
Hundreds of people have signed up to adopt the dogs. The shelter continues to seek donations to help pay for the care of the dogs as well as dozens of cats it took in from two other animal hoarding cases this year. | Source: Associated Press - Sept 3, 2009
Update posted on Sep 5, 2009 - 12:35AM |
References |
